July 23, 2025
Will someone clarify for me WHERE July has gone?
When I was in Dublin, there were a couple of days when the temperatures were up around 80 degree Fahrenheit, which is quite warm by Dublin standards. I learned to my chagrin that it’s also quite warm by MY standards!
First lesson – when a country’s weather service issues weather warnings of any sort, heed them. They probably haven’t had their budgets cut the pieces so their work is still thorough and accurate, and they certainly know something about local weather that you don’t…
The resident of Dublin were smart – they flocked by the hundreds to parks:
St. Stephen’s Green Dublin, July 2025
Let’s flash back to how I packed for Ireland; I changed things up after I posted my travel capsule wardrobe here on July 16th…
My travel outfit stayed the same, and was great. I wouldn’t want to have to walk on anything like cobblestones in these shoes, but they were as comfortable as slippers. Perfect for sleeping on the plane! I was also happy to have a sweatshirt with me, although I didn’t ever wear it. The flight was cold, but the Aer Lingus Business Class blankets are quite nice, and my sweatshirt wasn’t needed. Had I been flying normally, in Normal People Class, I would have loved my sweatshirt…
Earrings – Nadri; black sleeveless top – L.L.Bean; watch – Timex; denim shirt – L.L.Bean; black sweatshirt (in the quilted bag) – Lands’ End; heritage stone chinos – L.L.Bean; quilted bag – COS; black sneakerinas – Vivaia
At the last minute, the day I left, I decided to leave my jeans and black marled sweater behind, and pack white pants and a super-big dose of sleeveless tops. I think that – even at this point – I had surrendered to the idea that I would wear the same clothes over and over, and go shopping if I had to.
I was also pretty happy to have so many shoe choices. My feet and I have an acrimonious relationship, and I was walking a TON, so being able to swap shoes was helpful. And the sandals were particularly brilliant; I would have had to buy sandals or wear gym shoes all the time. Buying shoes on vacation is risky, I think!
Scarf – Jessie Zhao New York; striped shirt – Lands’ End; earrings – Gold Trip; White linen shirt – Alex Mill; black sleeveless tops – L.L.Bean; white sleeveless tops – L.L.Bean; black ponte knit pants – Eileen Fisher; striped cardigan – Madewell; white linen lantern pants – Eileen Fisher; silver sneakers – Vionic; sandals – Ecco; loafers – G.H.Bass
Two days in, I realized that either a dress or a pair of shorts would be really useful, so I went shopping! My hotel (the delightful Staunton’s on the Green) was very close to a lot of store – the Grafton Street pedestrian shopping area.
After much thinking, and slightly less browsing, I found that Benetton was my best option. Not the least expensive (by any stretch!), but 100% linen shorts, long enough to shield the world from the disaster that is my thighs, and elastic waisted, for hot-weather comfort. I will have these for years…
at some point, these shorts were available in 15 colors! Good thing I have such a limited wardrobe palette, eh?
Shopping while on vacation is a treacherous slippery slope of feeling like you deserve a treat, feeling like you want to bring some part of your vacation home with you, and sometimes truly needing something. I’ve gone WAAY overboard a few trips, and others I haven’t bought anything. It’s well worth thinking about how you will handle various situations before you find yourself standing in a mall somewhere with a peach floral shirt in your hand saying “this would work…”
When I got back to my adorable tiny hotel room, this is what I had available to wear:
The addition of white pants (yes, I’m the woman who really loves barrel pants, or as Eileen Fisher calls them “lantern pants”) and two pairs of shorts gave me enough options to get me through a week. Not that the weather stayed warm for that long, but it was comforting to have choices:
The third day I was in Dublin, I took a few things to a laundry about 5 blocks away. This kind of thing can be VERY expensive, but I treated it as a vacation bonus. I didn’t eat a lot of expensive meals, so I feel like it all balanced out. And having a couple of clean sleeveless tops, as well as having my chambray shirt clean, made a lot of difference when the weather was unpredictable!
One thing I always notice when I’m in Dublin; business people dress REALLY WELL. I saw more people dressed in suits – men and women – than I would see in a month in Chicago. And LOTS of women wearing black. Employees at Brown Thomas – the posh department store on Grafton Street – wear all black, but I don’t think that everyone I saw was working there.
Here’s an example of what I saw:
Magnolia earrings – The Met Store; brooch – The Met Store; black blazer – Theory; cashmere scarf – Nordstrom; silk top – Theory; pants – Theory; socks – Stems; loafers – Anne Klein
Necklace – Saachi; earrings – Ana Luisa; dress – Oh! Zuza; cardigan – Lands’ End; bag – Radley; slingbacks – Sam Edelman
The other thing that I noticed among the hundreds and hundreds of women I saw – DRESSES!!! Floral, print, striped, solid, all KINDS of dresses. It was stunning…
Striped cotton dress – Lands’ End; earrings – Ana Luisa; necklace – Saachi; bag – Oryany; shoes – Sam Edelman
Barrettes – Tasha; dress – Lands’ End; necklace – st. Moran; bracelet – st. Moran; ballet flats – Sam Edelman
Of course I saw a million tourists, wearing all kinds of tourist gear. There were dozens of school groups, wearing matching tee shirts and/or carrying matching backpacks. Tons of sports gear – especially over the weekend when Dublin was hosting Gaelic sports. Lots of Kerry fans!
So wear what you want in Dublin, but be prepared for changes of weather. I can’t wait to go back and see how well I can pack for the changing weather!
love,
Janice
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First of all, I’m so glad you’re home safely and I want to echo you on wearing comfortable shoes. I have to wear them these days. I can also no longer wear shoes that are in any way ‘tippy’. I have recently been diagnosed with SEVERE Osteoporosis, even though I’m 59. Two simple falls in the past two years have resulted in two broken bones. So, I need to be even more careful these days. High heels are OUT for me, even for dressy occasions. I appreciate your always including shoes for real women and not heels that are shown in every movie and fashion outlet.
I love everything you brought and I’m so happy to see all of these beautiful dresses. I could wear each and every one. The point you made got me thinking about Benetton. I used to shop there ALL the time in the 80’s and 90’s. Their sweaters were my absolute staple back in the day. I didn’t even realize that they were still in business, so I’m thrilled to know they have an online presence. When I was in college in Boston, the store on Newbury Street was my ‘go to’….so this blast from the past made me joyful.
Well done, you, and I’m excited to see the energy that Dublin has brought you!
Ellen, you might want to find out if you have hyperparathyroidism, which can cause osteoporosis. A friend of mine with osteoporosis discovered she had it after she was also diagnosed.
Dresses are very popular in the UK. Easy dressing and cool. They can be dressed up or down with a change of shoes and accessories.
My first paying job was in the Benetton store at the Stephen’s Green end of Grafton, before it moved into the Stephen’s Green shopping center. This post is made of memories for me :D
Your “shopping away from home” reminded me of the time I was teaching a term in Singapore and needed a dressy dress. I went to one of the nicer shops there, but couldn’t find anything my size (14). I finally asked and was told to go to the Jumbo (!!!) section where there were only three items available. Sigh! I am so with you on lantern pants; whenever I can find the Eileen Fisher ones on sale, I grab them.
Similar experience here in Tokyo. I brought out my dress to wear at a business reception and discovered that the sales associate at the department store back home had forgotten to remove the big plastic security tag. I had to find something else! I was a size 8 back them. Had to shop the largest sizes available. 😳
Janice, I admire how you stuck to your wardrobe palette when shopping on vacation. It’s so important to feel comfortable so that you fully enjoy your trip and so that you don’t get chilled/ overheated, which could result in getting sick.
I love your description of seeing so many women wearing dresses while you were there. My area has a high number of dress-wearers too and I’ve been wondering if you might consider having one of your 2026 “six wardrobes” heroines be an avid skirt and dress wearer….someone who wears skirts and dresses (some dressy, some “business casual”, some utilitarian, some cozy, some preppy…) most (say, 90%) of the time. Many such real life heroines exist!
I have no idea where July went either!
Great idea!
Despite the fact that I grew up as a tomboy, I live in dresses and skirts now. Skorts travel well and are great for both hiking and bicycling.
Then I decided to find a skirt so I could make a nice travel capsule and have something that wasn’t sporty or too casual for dining out. The Flippy Skirt by Salaam of Vermont was the perfect skirt! I have it in several solid colors and a couple of prints. It’s great for a mix and match travel capsule or for wearing at home, too.
In 2023, I did the Wool& 100 Day Dress Challenge. I’ve been living in dresses and skirts ever since.
I’m so happy that Janice decided to share The Vivienne Files with us!
Samantha Brown had a tip just the other day, from her waitressing days, on how to refresh your feet when you’ve walked & walked.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMSkZFHOsxm/?igsh=MXN4YjN6ejAwYXR5bw==
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing. I wear a lot of dresses or skirts in the summer as I feel they are cooler than pants or shorts. Have a wonderful week everyone.
How many days were you gone with this wardrobe?
Eight nights, including one night on the plane.
hugs,
Janice
I am always surprised at the number of long sleeved items included in summer wardrobes. I use sleeveless under cardigans in spring or fall. By summer, it’s too hot for me to have a second layer. 80* feels like a nice day! And this year our spring was lovely and early summer too! June and most of July hovered around 90-91 most days with lots of rain. Hooray! But hot summer has now arrived! Lucky us; we are in New England and the days so far have been great. I brought 2 pair shorts, 2 skorts and 2 dresses. 6 t shirts/tops. Only one 2nd layer, a knit “Jean” jacket, perfect so far. And a swim suit, skirt and UV shirt bc paddle boarding is in our plans! I can’t wait! Happy days everyone!
April, some of us live with people who dial the air conditioning down to COLD! We need sleeves – or many cardigans! I wear my cashmere cardigans year round. I remove them when I go outside during the hot weather, but I need them in the car if my husband is with me. He just feels the heat more than I do.
And the art museums were frigid. I think because they have lots of monitoring equipment for art or antiquities, that generate heat. Maybe? I just know that it could easily have snowed in the Hugh Lane Gallery…
hugs,
Janice
Janice, I’m so glad you finally made it to Dublin and had a wonderful time! Your new linen shorts were a great addition to your travel wardrobe.
Great shorts choice! Of course I would say that, because I have similar, three pairs (navy, oatmeal & charcoal) that are the basis of my summer casual wardrobe.
I am so happy I found your blog again. When I traveled to Ireland in 2012, I searched out what to wear and found you. Over the years, Facebook took the place of blogs for me and I don’t know why. Thrilled to be back. Anyway, love this capsule! The only thing I would switch are the shorts. I would bring neutral skirts, like some I found at Costco- rollover skirt in front shorts in back. Be well.